Hi Folks. We arrived in Melb last Sunday and stayed at the Big4 CP in Coburg. Very professionally run, but postage stamp powered sites. Get one of the groundsmen to help back you in - they do it all the time. Very clean, but $49 a night for 2 pple. Monday night the wind had our van rocking n rolling as the wind comes up from the valley at the bottom edge of the CP and the high voltage power lines on their pylons groaned in protest.
Tuesday we moved to the Akoonah Civic Centre at Berwick. If youre not used to heavy traffic and Melbourne drivers, pop a valium before you drive across town!! This CP is currently $21 a night or $126 a week. Only 20 sites and you need to book ahead
The weather since then (its now Sunday) has been very windy, usually overcast and some rain showers right throughout the day and night. The 2nd night we had a light branch fall out of a gum tree onto the roof of our 'van and ute. Sounded like the whole tree. but no damage done - since then its been the bloody gum nuts and tiny stick branches dropping on the roof.
And if you've never used the public transport system here - don't expect to get accurate info from their call centre. We got sent to one station in the city, told by one of the staff at that station that it was wrong and go back 5 stations (to reach our destination), then asked the real oil - a coffee shop. Result was catch the train and head partly back into the city again. Talk about stressful. We've found out since that you ask other regular local commuters. Oh, and don't ask the staff at Rail Stations about train/bus/tram times and ways to get there - they don't have on-line access to that info. Having said all that, the Melbourne public transport system is great - just don't rely on its staff to give you the correct info
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
I was staying with a friend in Upwey E .Melbourne. I needed to travel to the Tullamarine Airport.
Upwey is on the main rail line into the city,
Well what a palaver. You dare not travel on Public transport without having a current ticket. You also need a Mikey card to enable you to use Melbourne's public transport. Went to the station but they don't sell the cards there. I was told to go to Berwick Station to buy a card and top it up with the minimum $12. I said OK what time is the train so I can go buy the card. "Oh you cannot travel without a card" Well how do I buy a card?
Yes you got it Go to Berwick Station and buy one.
I still have the card with $7.50 on it after paying my @2.50 fare from Berwick into the city and then catching the Coach from the city to the airport. Private Coach contractor who doesn't use the Mikey card system.
User friendly. Yes, once you have a card and can top up at selected outlets and online but initial purchase of card. No way.
Public Transport hey, you can't live without it and you you can't live with it. Now I know why I don't go into Melbourne if I can get away with it. Any big City for that matter.
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Live Life On Your Terms
DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV (with some changes)
I guess we all get used to the systems in our own capital city.
We're from Perth, and you can buy tickets (yep - bits of paper) at any rail station or get a Smartrider card (like Mikey) and top it up on any bus or train station - so simple.
And all the Perth stations have staff there - security guards and Info people who can actually advise you what to do when and where you want to go. And they usually smile and are helpful.
I ended up making a formal complaint about the staff at Berwick Station as there was a queue of 7-8 people wanting to top up their MiKeys (about the only thing you can do) and the guy at the counter turned side on and shuffled papers. One of the locals got really angry (and no he wasn't feral) and shouted at him twice - no reaction, so he started banging really hard on the plastic window so hard I though it would break. A female appeared from out the back and topped up peoples cards -but the guy continued to shuffle his bits of paper around. Hope he becomes unemployed - useless public servant. Its a huge train and tram service and all credit to VIC for having it - but it needs a major shakeup and become customer focused. While we were waiting for our 1st train, we were going to jump on a VIC train rather than a Metro one. Fortunately, the locals helped and told us which train. They also warned us not to rely on the train service as they often just didn't run, or if a train was late, the driver would just not stop at stations until he made up the time.
Last used the Sydney system about 15 years ago and was great - hope it isn't now run by a bunch of public servants who don't know what customer service is !!!
Oh, and because we're totally OTT - the weather hasn't changed - calm for a while, then really strong wind. Caravan next to us has their annexe up facing the wind and tied down to anything that wont move, including the water tap to stop it blowing away - I couldn't handle all that hassle, bad enough having our 'van rocking round and we're on a concrete pad with our stabilizer (haha) legs down and another van on the windward side of us (hope they don't move before we do)
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
Glad to get away from windy, cold Melbourne on Saturday. Headed North over the Great Dividing Range above Kilmore. In the rain & clouds until we hit the Northern Plains around Elmore.
We were thinking of stopping at Green Lake but kept going due to an even windier forecast for Sunday. We stayed overnight near Mathoura NSW & continued on to Deniliquin on Sunday. Still windy up here but not as cold as Melbourne. Hopefully the weather improves as we travel up The Long Paddock (Cobb Highway) to Hay, Booligal & Ivanhoe. Did a day trip up to Conargo yesterday. Pity the iconic old pub burnt down in November 2014! Are they going to rebuild it?
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Cheers Desert Dweller.
Our land abounds in Natures gifts. Of beauty rich and rare.
